


The Nature of the Beast

by JennaEf



Series: Of Beasts and Guardians [2]
Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Angst, Asexual Harry, Fluff, Guardian!Merlin, Harry Hart Lives, Harry as Arthur, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Rape/Non-con, Platonic Soulmates, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Touchy-Feely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-11 16:59:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5634610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennaEf/pseuds/JennaEf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bullet to the head changed Harry Hart. Now Eggsy and Merlin have a personal mission: bringing Harry back to himself. And it's not an easy one...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beast Inside

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray into Kingsman fandom. I'm not abandoning Sherlock, though.  
> Feedback very much appreciated. Also looking for beta reader.

When Harry Hart breached the topic for the first time, Merlin pretended not to hear him.  
Harry was still recovering from major brain damage and learning to live with an artificial left eye, but at least he was more or less himself. He wisely refrained from insisting on his request, but Merlin knew him well enough to understand that ex-Galahad was just bidding his time, and there was certainly going to be another attempt.  
The process of choosing a candidate for Arthur’s position was temporarily put on hold, because each and every Kingsman agent was positive that there’s no one better suited for this responsibility than Harry Hart; the matter was considered settled by the majority of knights, so Merlin was acting on behalf of Harry and practically manning all the work processes in organisation. It turned to be quite a strain, so by the end of the day the Scottish technician was dead on his feet; fortunately, Harry’s room was less than fifty metres away from the Control, and Merlin shamelessly used this fact as a reason to spend every night near Harry Hart.  
Merlin and ex-Galahad’s relationship has only been starting, but Merlin was already acting possessively and even being a tad overprotective when it came to the matter of Harry Hart’s wellbeing, which resulted in quite a few heated discussions between two men. Neither of them was willing to give in without fight, but their reasons for acting in such a way differed drastically. For Merlin it was keeping his newly found life partner safe and sound; for Harry... well, it was a bit more complicated.  
Valentine’s device and a bullet to Harry Hart’s brain took away some part of his personality, but left something strange in return: a craving of violence and, at the same time, a soul-numbing fear to cause physical pain. When he told Valentine that he had no control, and he really wanted to kill all those people, he meant it – each and every word. A bullet which destroyed part of his brain a few seconds later, seemed to serve as the catalyst for imprinting that idea deep into Harry’s mind; he did his best to fight and repress it, seemingly succeeding in that battle – well, until Merlin’s attempt to become his other half, that is.  
Fuelled by Harry’s emotions, the craving broke free, growing into a part of ex-Galahad’s personality – the one which he struggled to keep at bay, and the one which reared his ugly head every time Merlin appeared in physical proximity. Harry squashed it down, reining it in by means of his exceptional self-control; but his savage persona soon found another way to make itself known – it took over ex-Galahad’s dreams.  
_At first, it wasn’t so bad – in Harry’s dreams he and Merlin fought alongside, dispatching of their adversaries with sleek efficiency. The only disturbing thing was the amount of blood spilled – Harry’s bespoke was usually drenched in it – but other than that, the rest of it was quite acceptable._  
_The change was sudden and totally unexpected – Harry dreamt that at some point during the mission they started arguing, and Merlin was stubbornly refusing to cooperate, so Harry, infuriated, backhanded him across the left cheek. Merlin’s head snapped violently to the right, and there was a cut on his face from Harry’s signet ring, welling up with blood. The wizard cursed under his breath, squared his shoulders and rushed forward, barrelling into Harry and tackling him to the ground. Ex-Galahad, stunned for a few moments, made no attempts to resist, and Merlin used this opportunity to his advantage, grabbing hold of Harry's wrists and pinning him down._  
_"Harry!" Merlin barked, his body straining to keep the knight pressed flat to the ground. "What the heck has gotten into you?"_  
_Harry continued to fight him, chest heaving and eyes wild, all the while not uttering even one syllable._  
_"Harry!" Merlin tried again, the strain making the muscles in his back contort painfully. "Harry, please, don't make me hurt you..."_  
_The older agent suddenly went still beneath him, and the wizard breathed a sigh of relief; but he definitely should have known better than to believe his stroke of luck. Harry Hart was never the one to give up easily and a second later Merlin found himself on the receiving end of a vicious kick to his left ankle. The Scot hissed in pain, and his pressure on Harry's body lessened, giving the infuriated Kingsman the opportunity to twist his lower body and click his heels together._  
_"Oh, for fuck's sake..," Merlin grumbled, knowing that Harry was masterful when it came to using the poisoned blade in his shoe, and therefore having no illusions as to how the ex-Galahad's little trick was supposed to end. "You know, Harry, these are exactly the times when I hate you the most."_  
_A moment later the sharp blade bit into his leg, and he let go of Harry's left wrist, slamming his fist into the side of his partner's neck and activating his signet ring._  
_A hoarse scream died on Harry Hart's lips as his heart stopped beating, and Merlin soon followed him into the dark silent abyss of death with a serene smile on his face..._  
Gasping in terror, Harry sat bolt upright in his bed, looking around in confusion. He was safe and sound in his room, with Merlin sprawled in the armchair near his bed and snoring softly.  
Harry's abrupt movement, however, rose the wizard at once, and he reached out, taking the other man's hand in his. "Harry, what is it? Are you in pain?"  
The Kingsman agent shook his head, not trusting his voice, and gripped Merlin's hand, holding for dear life. "Mm... Mer... Merlin..."  
"Shh," the Scottish technician hushed gently, getting up and climbing onto the bed, closer to his partner. "It's okay, Harry, I'm here. I’ve got you. What is it, what's wrong?"  
Harry just looked at him, eyes wide and terrified, and started shaking.  
"Shit," Merlin muttered, blindly reaching for the panic button and then throwing himself at the other man and enveloping him in a full body hug. "Harry, stay with me. Help is on the way."  
Ex-Galahad's arms sneaked around his torso, squeezing tightly, and Merlin heard a muffled sob. He shifted slightly, manoeuvring so Harry's face was pressed into the crook of his neck, and held on, providing his partner with silent strength and support. Harry's shaking seemed to subside, and Merlin breathed out in relief, only to stiffen again as Harry started nuzzling his neck, warm lips touching his skin in open-mouthed kisses which sent a pleasant tingle down the wizard's back. Merlin grunted, trying to pull away - without any success, of course - and right at that moment the door started to open.  
The wizard had no choice but to grab the back of the knight's neck in a vice grip, effectively holding him in place, and pray that whoever was coming in was clever enough as to not to read their position wrong.  
"Charming, boys," Morgana's amused chuckle echoed around the room. "Harry I can understand, he had never been the one to lose a chance to smooch somebody; but I've never pegged you as the one who are partial to PDA."  
Merlin suddenly found himself blushing. "Harry’s private room is not a public place, Morgana."  
"With me present it bloody well is," she smirked. "Stop that, you two, or you are going to regret it."  
"I would love to, darling, but it isn't me who setting up the rules," Harry started nuzzling again, and it took all Merlin's willpower not to groan in frustration. "He is definitely in a state to ravish me as soon as I let go, so you'd better do something about it."  
"Have you tried getting up?" Morgana asked innocently, and Merlin rolled his eyes, forgetting that she could not see his face.  
"Very funny," he grumbled. "I can try, though, if you're up to treating two broken arms right after that."  
"Never the optimist," their chief medic sighed mock-sufferingly. "Make an effort to cheer the girl up once in a while, will you?" she went to the small table near the wall, prepping the injection, and a minute later came over to the bed, sticking a needle in Harry's arm and pressing the plunger down.  
Harry, still mouthing Merlin's neck, hissed in discomfort and bit down reflexively, causing Merlin to yelp in sudden pain and loosen his grip.  
"Ow," the wizard complained. "There was no need to tough it out, sweetheart."  
"Can't help it, what's with being the medical boss and all," she shrugged her shoulders. "The sedative should already be working, so you can try to get up."  
Merlin could confirm that, judging by the way Harry's arms went slack, allowing the wizard to pull away and get out of bed. Stretching his back and rolling his shoulders to work out the kinks in his muscles, Merlin hissed as he felt sharp pain in his neck, right where Harry had bitten him.  
“Well, his teeth seem to be no less sharp than his tongue,” Morgana commented, coming close and taking a hold of Merlin’s chin. Carefully tilting his head, she examined his neck. “Looks nasty. Let me take care of this.”  
The wizard allowed her to sit him down in the armchair again and leaned back, turning his head to give Morgana better access.  
Their sorceress went to the table near the wall once again, gathering all needed supplies. “I can see the reason for him wanting to ravish you, Merl,” she turned to look at him and clicked her tongue approvingly. “Being amorous looks good on you.”  
The Scot attempted to hide his embarrassment behind a witty reply. “If you are trying to tell me that I need Harry Hart’s attention to look good, then you’d better stop right now.”  
She came back and leaned down, starting to tend to his injury. “Why should I? You both look great, and in our line of work moments of happiness are so few…”  
Merlin’s gaze shifted to Harry’s bed, settling on his peacefully sleeping partner. “Yes,” he admitted quietly. “Harry… he deserves it.”  
“You both, Merl,” she covered his wounds with a couple of band-aids and squeezed his shoulder. “I will keep my fingers crossed for you.”  
Merlin swallowed around the lump in his throat, keeping his eyes averted. “I… Thank you, Morgana.”  
Right at that moment Harry moved on the bed, rolling onto his side and murmuring something, and only Merlin’s patented resolve helped him not to jump from the chair and rush to Harry’s side immediately. His fingers gripping the arms of his armchair, Merlin took several deep breaths to calm down, acutely aware of Morgana’s dotting gaze.  
“Go to him,” she said softly, taking her hand off his shoulder and stepping away. “I’m leaving and blocking the door for an hour; nobody’s going to disturb you, boys. Something’s troubling you, Merlin, and it obviously has to do with Harry, so you’d better have the matter settled between you two.”  
“Thank you, we will,” Merlin sat up and watched her go, a warm smile curling his lips. When the door closed with a click, the wizard reached out, taking his partner’s hand. Harry murmured something and sighed softly, his eyelids fluttering first, then opening half-way.  
“Merlin,” Harry’s voice was heavy with sleep, but his eyes were alert and full of warmth. “You look awful. You should cease holding vigil over me; it doesn’t do you any good.”  
“Can’t help it,” the wizard smiled, stroking his partner’s slender fingers with his own. “I guess I’m just trying to make up for all the time that we’ve lost.”  
“We have all..,” the other man began but stopped abruptly, seeing the band-aids on Merlin’s neck. Brown eyes opened wide and Harry pushed himself up on one elbow, pulling his hand out of Merlin’s grasp and reaching towards the wizard’s neck. “What the hell happened, Merlin?”  
“Nothing serious,” Merlin waved his hand in dismissal. “Just an unfortunate experiment.”  
Harry frowned but pulled his hand back, obviously not impressed by his partner’s lame attempt at explanation. “What kind of experiment can cause such an injury? It’s your own neck, Merlin, for fuck’s sake; are you out of your mind?”  
“No more than you,” the wizard shot back, trying to change the subject. “Something bothering you, Harry, I can feel it. What’s wrong?”  
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, because as soon as Harry was about to speak, Merlin realised that his partner was just sedated, not hit with amnesia dart.  
“Asks the man who has no qualms about throwing himself at me every chance he gets,” Harry’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Even here...,” he stopped abruptly, eyes widening in realization. “Damn. It was me. I bit your neck. Shit.”  
The wizard surged forward, reaching out to comfort his distraught partner, but the knight batted his hands away.  
“Touching me right now is a bad idea,” ex-Galahad warned, his expression rapidly closing down and transforming his face into his usual emotionless mask. “You should leave, Merlin. Please don’t argue.”  
“No chance in hell, Harry,” the wizard settled back into his armchair and crossed his arms on his chest. “I will not leave. And you’re going to talk, sooner or later. I excel at waiting, you know that.”  
Harry looked at him for a few moments, his expression vacant and unreadable, then rolled over, facing away, and drew the blanket up, covering his head.  
Merlin sighed and tilted his head back, closing his eyes. It was going to be the longest hour… and maybe even several of them; but he was hell-bent on getting to the core of Harry’s problem and solving it, so whatever it took, he was willing to risk it.


	2. Conversations and Decisions

As Merlin had expected, Harry remained silent the whole hour; the only indication that the knight wasn’t completely shutting him out had been the fact of the ex-Galahad rolling over again, grabbing his hand and tugging at it until he could partially use it as a pillow. The wizard, in turn, had been forced to do a bit of wriggling of his own, to avoid getting muscle cramps or throwing his back out again due to extremely uncomfortable position.  
They remained motionless and silent after that, each one thinking about their disagreement but refusing to take any steps for sorting it out. Strangely enough, both were content with the situation: Harry bestowed small caresses and occasional kisses upon Merlin’s fingers, and the Scot, in turn, reached out with his other hand, combing his fingers through his partner’s hair and massaging his head lightly with his fingertips.  
The rest of the hour was spent in this lazy manner, but as soon as the magnetic lock clicked open, Eggsy burst into the room like a hurricane, startling both men and causing them to pull apart hastily. The young agent, however, paid no attention to their delicate situation, rushing across the room and almost falling onto Merlin’s lap in his attempt to stop in front of the handler’s armchair.  
“Merlin,” he breathed out heavily, eyes desperate. “Percival’s in trouble. Rox is practically climbin’ the walls, and your minion is bloody useless!”  
The young Galahad barely had time to stumble out of the wizard’s way as the older man cursed and leapt to his feet.  
“Eggsy, you are staying with Harry while I sort this mess out,” their chief handler barked an order, already on his way to the door. “And try to get him to eat something while you at it,” with that, he disappeared from the room, his last phrase causing Hart to roll his eyes in exasperation.  
The blond frowned, looking at his former mentor in confusion. “What’s he about?”  
“The usual,” Harry grumbled. “You know him – always so irritatingly protective. Even when protection is the last thing his charge needs.”  
Eggsy shook his head, grinning. “Sorry, boss, but I’m on his side in this one. And I won’t say you look like shit, but only because it’s not a hundred percent so.”  
“A charming display of subordination, Galahad,” a smirk curled Hart’s lips. “As soon as I’m out of here, I will make sure you’re properly engaged with work instead of hanging around Merlin and adopting his irksome habits.”  
“Good luck wif dat, bruv,” the younger man’s accent was back in full force, his green eyes sparkling with mischief. “Cos I seriously doubt ya can best Merlin in buryin’ me under even larger heap of work.”  
“Really?” Harry quirked up an eyebrow. “A wise decision on his part, if you ask me.”  
“Says the man who can only stay in bed if he’s in a bloody coma,” Eggsy rolled his eyes. “Some of us have families they need to spend time with, you know.”  
“Don’t make me pull up your mission schedule, Galahad,” Harry mock-threatened. “Or you may suddenly find yourself demoted to my valet.”  
The young agent tilted his head to the side, a knowing smile gracing his lips. “Might be a good thing, for Merlin too,” he murmured.  
Hart narrowed his eyes but decided not to lash out at his protégé – Eggsy, after all, didn’t mean to insult him. The youngster, despite his tendency to mouth off and annoying attitude, was unfailingly loyal to those whom he cared about; Harry and Merlin, to their immense surprise, found themselves pulled into Eggsy’s inner circle right after Harry’s miraculous return from Kentucky. Merlin got there first: the wizard worked himself into complete exhaustion during the first week after the V-day, and Eggsy had to bodily drag him out of the Control (which wasn’t an easy task at all, but Merlin, bless him, made it easier by stumbling along almost on his own). They made their wavering way into the nearest guest quarters, where Merlin fell on the bed and promptly passed out. Eggsy let him sleep for almost a day, and woke him up only when Percival demanded Merlin’s immediate return due to some problem with their American branch.  
Turned out there was quite alive but comatose Harry Hart lying in Kingsman’s HQ medical bay in New York. He was recovered after massacre at the church and transported by their fellow American agents, but due to the post-V-day chaos the communication system was down, so it took some time for the quartermaster in New York to whip up a temporary connection and finally get the message through.  
When Merlin saw the footage from Harry’s ICU room, he was forced to mute the channel for a few minutes – partly because of his quite animated bout of swearing in Gaelic, and partly because of Eggsy, whose East End accent become so thick his speech was virtually incomprehensible. Good thing they were on the other side of the Atlantic, because Merlin seriously doubted he could ensure Harry’s safety at the moment: not only because he himself was itching to give Hart a good dressing down, but mainly because he had to physically restrain Eggsy to prevent damage to his workstation. He didn’t hold it against the boy, of course: with the level of worship and adoration young Unwin had for his mentor, and after the complete devastation he went through after seeing Harry being shot in the head, Eggsy had the right to be royally pissed.  
Merlin had the plane ready five minutes after he finished the communication session. Eggsy followed him into the hangar, and the Scotsman simply gestured for the boy to board the aircraft and to keep him company in the cockpit.  
They were both silent during the flight, but it was a comfortable silence: there were a lot of things to take in and consider, and Merlin had an impression that the younger man’s thoughts were far more serious than his. But, judging by the swift glances Eggsy was shooting in his direction, Harry Hart wasn’t the sole object of the younger man’s attention. The wizard allowed him to do that for a couple of minutes more, then switched the plane on autopilot and turned to face the young agent.  
“Alright, lad,” he said firmly. “Something’s bothering you, so you’d better spill it out.”  
The blond looked down at his hands, clasped together on his lap, then risked to meet Merlin’s gaze. “It’s goin’ to be bad, innit?” his voice was quiet, no more than a whisper. “He was in a coma before, and he took quite a blast, I know, but this is different.”  
“Yes, it is, lad,” the Scot confirmed, reaching out and placing his hand on Eggsy’s arm. “But he’s been through some serious shit before and always survived.”  
“He’s lost one eye, Merlin,” Eggsy shook his head. “He’s not gonna like it.”  
“Remember what he told you when he was recruiting you?” Merlin gave his arm a light squeeze. “About adapting and learning?”  
Eggsy looked at him in confusion but nodded anyway.  
“That’s his motto, lad,” the wizard continued. “He was temporarily blind once, lost his memory twice and even went paraplegic three years ago. He had pulled through before, he will do it again, you can be sure of that.”  
The young Galahad’s eyes were wide with disbelief, his mouth slightly open. “You’re kiddin’, right?”  
“Indeed I am not, Eggsy,” Merlin’s lips curled in a smile. “He is quite a handful, our would-be Arthur, isn’t he?”  
“Our would-be..,” the blond narrowed his eyes. “Are you taking a piss?”  
“You can think of a more suitable candidate?” Merlin raised an eyebrow.  
“No, but..,” Eggsy’s face fell. “He’s not gonna be happy with me either. I failed him, Merlin. He wanted me to become Lancelot, and I couldn’t…”  
“But you saved the world afterwards, lad,” the wizard objected. “I’ll count more in Harry’s book, believe me.”  
“From your mouth to God’s ears, guv,” the young agent shook his head slightly and looked at his hands again. “I don’t think it gonna be that easy.”  
“Time will tell, Eggsy,” Merlin turned back to the controls and switched the autopilot off. “Take a nap while you can; we still have a couple of hours…”  
“Eggsy!” Harry’s voice pulled the blond back to reality. “Far be it from me to disagree with your assessment of mine and Merlin’s condition, but I think you should include yourself in the list. You look exhausted.”  
“Wif pleasure,” Eggsy flashed him a devilish grin. “At least I won’ hafta drag Merlin all the way from the Control.”  
“I happen to have a home terminal, in case you’ve forgotten,” Harry remarked, quirking up his right eyebrow.  
“Not a problem to block the signal,” Eggsy tilted his head to the right. “Or distract him with samfin’ more… interestin’.”  
The older Kingsman’s eyes suddenly narrowed to slits. “Such as?” he asked, his voice sharp and steely.  
The blond raised his hands in a placating gesture. “Just watching movies and playing cards, Harry, nofin’ more. I ain’t blind or stupid. I saw how Merlin looked at you in hospital after Kentucky. I’m not trespassing on your ground, you can be sure of that.”  
Harry’s expression rapidly closed down. “We are not having this conversation, Eggsy. Is that clear?”  
“As you wish, boss,” Eggsy shrugged his shoulders. “What about your threat to demote me to your valet? Is it still on the table?”  
Hart pulled himself into a half-seating position and crossed his arms on his chest. “Why’s the interest? According to Merlin, you are quite happy being a field agent. Is this not true?”  
“It is, but..,” the blond paused, looking at his hands again. “Look, Harry, about that time before the church…”  
“Merlin warned me you were having guilt issues,” Harry’s voice was soft. “I should have settled this matter sooner. Look at me, Eggsy.”  
The young Galahad reluctantly obeyed, his anxious green eyes meeting Harry’s warm brown ones.  
“Didn’t Merlin tell you that I would be proud of you, Eggsy?” his mentor’s voice was soothing as a glass of cool water on a hot day. The blond relaxed and allowed a small smile to touch his lips. “Well, then.”  
“In this case, can I be your valet for a couple of weeks, Harry?” lowering his head, the blond peeked at him from under his lashes. “Please.”  
“I guess as a future Arthur I can allow you a little vacation,” Harry smiled. “Provided that you can persuade Merlin to keep us company in the evenings.”  
“Not a problem, boss,” Eggsy grinned. “I bet he looks fabulous in fluffy slippers.”  
“Probably, but I doubt you’ll live long enough to see this if you were to suggest it to him,” Harry replied matter-of-factly, trying to hide a grin. “He hadn’t always been a handler, Eggsy. He was recruited as a field agent, and a damn good one. But one of his missions went tits up, and his left leg was seriously damaged…”  
“Really?” Eggsy interrupted, looking intrigued. “He doesn’t even limp!”  
“A hi-tech prosthetic,” the older Kingsman explained, causing Eggsy to choke on the orange juice which the younger man just took a sip of. “He mastered it perfectly.”  
“I hope he didn’t build a rocket launcher into that thing,” Eggsy joked, coughing. Harry wriggled his eyebrows. “That is sick!”  
“A gentleman is always resourceful, Eggsy. And Merlin doesn’t have his reputation of wizard for nothing,” Harry’s expression grew serious. “By the way, can I ask you a personal question?”  
The blond’s expression was an answer on its own, so Harry took a deep breath and rushed on before he could change his mind.  
“My offer of opportunity to become a Kingsman – was it worth it, Eggsy? For you, honestly?” Hart’s voice sounded hesitant, and Eggsy shook his head, flabbergasted.  
“Of all people..,” he muttered. “Harry, you have my dossier. And I know you have a knack of making right choices. What chances I had before you? Prison or getting’ a knife between me ribs?”  
“As opposed to being poisoned or blown sky-high,” Harry snorted.  
“Only if I’m stupid enough to let ‘em,” Eggsy flashed his shit-eating grin at him. “Ain’t no one bestin’ me yet, boss.”  
“That’s good to hear,” Hart uncrossed his arms and did his best to rearrange his pillows to sit more comfortably. “So, no regrets?”  
“None, Harry,” a smile seemed to light up Eggsy’s face. “When are we going home?”  
Hart pretended to think a little. “I don’t know, but I would’ve preferred it to be this evening.”  
The door to the room opened at that exact moment, and Merlin strode in, eyes focused on the clipboard. “Out of the question, Harry.”  
“I thought you were busy saving Percival,” Hart narrowed his eyes, feigning offence. “Spying on the injured is not very gentlemanly, Merlin.”  
“Trying to weasel your way out of proper treatment is not befitting a gentleman either, Harry,” Merlin objected, looking up. “But I’m prepared to allow some… concessions. Provided, of course, you are going to agree on one important condition.”  
“Why am I getting a feeling that I’m not going to like said condition?” Harry grumbled, rolling his eyes. “Fine, then. I’m listening.”  
“I’ve called the gathering,” the wizard said firmly. “Eight PM GMT. You are going to take the sword and accept the crown, Harry.”  
“It’s blackmail, Merlin,” Hart huffed in indignation.  
“Strategic thinking, Harry,” the wizard corrected. “And your answer would be…”  
“Mean thing to do anyways, Merlin,” Eggsy piped in and, reaching out, touched his mentor’s arm. “He’s got you here, Harry. ‘Sides, I read about the ceremony. It’s grand, Harry. You should do it.”  
“If my purest knight thinks I should claim the throne, who am I to refuse?” the soon-to-be Arthur patted his young knight’s hand fondly. “You’ve won, Merlin. Prepare my suit, please.”


	3. The Ceremony

They had two hours till the beginning of the ceremony, and Eggsy was already going bonkers.  
Firstly, he found out that Merlin had the whole thing planned long ago, and they have just played into his hands with their request for home leave.  
Secondly, as the ceremony had been planned in advance, all remaining active knights were present on the base, seemingly intent on getting on Eggsy’s already frayed nerves (even if their intentions were nothing but good).  
Thirdly, - and that was the last straw, - the young Galahad found out that he had been made fun of by Harry when he incidentally happened upon Merlin wearing a kilt. Which fit him perfectly and showed off his legs. Both normal human legs, for that matter. Eggsy silently swore to strangle Harry right after the ceremony. Or inflict substantial body damage anyway.  
But those things paled in comparison with the main one. They were just grains of sand, the tip of the whole bloody iceberg. And at the bottom of said iceberg was the main horror of the situation – Galahad’s ceremonial suit.  
When Eggsy saw it for the first time, he backed away, shaking his head. “No way in hell I’m wearing this… thing. Them ain’t my colours at all.”  
“The colours are traditional, Eggsy,” Harry remarked, standing still and allowing Andrew to adjust his regal midnight-blue attire. His suit seemed to be an ordinary one – until he started moving. There were multiple golden threads woven through the fabric, so with each move Arthur’s suit sparkled in the light. “And you’re going to look marvellous.”  
“Thanks, but no thanks,” the blond said petulantly. “I’ll stick as a sore thumb. I want another option.”  
Harry Hart respected traditions. But he also prided himself on the ability to adapt to ever-changing world, so for the first time in Kingsman’s history Galahad was going to be clothed in non-traditional colour (dove-grey, for that matter, instead of snow-white with black edging along the lapels and cuffs).  
Merlin dropped by as they were finishing their fitting, looking elegant in his kilt and grey jacket, and Eggsy fixed Harry with a withering glare. “Prosthetic, huh?”  
“Guilty as charged,” their soon-to-be Arthur spread his arms, looking properly chastised. “I do apologise, Eggsy, but the opportunity was too good to pass up.”  
“You need to be careful around him, lad,” Merlin commented, coming closer and fixing the younger man’s tie. “The thing is, our former Galahad earned a telling nickname since his first day in Kingsman, courtesy of old Gawain. He called Harry ‘the Trickster’ as soon as he laid eyes on him. Quite telling, isn’t it, considering that all Harry did then is just say ‘hello’”.  
The blond’s expression switched from pissed to curious, and Harry groaned. “Thanks a lot, Merlin. Now I not only have to endure the ceremony but a thorough interrogation afterwards.”  
“Not if I’d run some interference,” the wizard said casually, causing Harry to instantly snap into attention. “But it’ll cost ya, Harry.”  
“Name the price,” Hart turned to look at him, not a hint of hesitation in his voice.  
“I get the guest room. You’re sharing with Eggsy.”  
The person in question spluttered in indignation. “WHAT?”  
Harry held his friend’s gaze without blinking. “Deal.”  
“Now wait a minute..,” Eggsy began, fuming, only to be interrupted by Merlin.  
“Time to go,” their wizard announced, looking them both over and giving a nod of approval. “Good luck, gentlemen.”  
“Who needs luck when they have you?” Harry remarked, heading towards the door. “Come, Eggsy, we have a duty to perform.”  
The blond rolled his eyes but followed suit, and Merlin brought up the rear, right hand flying over his clipboard along the way. The trio traversed HQ hallways in silence, finally stopping in front of heavy double doors of the ballroom. The wizard came forward, tucking the clipboard under his arm and placing his palms on the smooth wood surface, and turned to look at his companions.  
“Ready, gentlemen?” he enquired, ready to give a push.  
Harry placed his hand on Eggsy’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Just stay calm, Eggsy,” he murmured. “It will be over soon.”  
The blond placed his own hand over Harry’s and squeezed back. “Yes, Harry.”  
Harry pulled his hand out of Eggsy’s grasp and straightened his suit jacket. “We are ready, Merlin. Lead on.”  
The ceremony went smoothly, even considering that Eggsy hadn’t expected to be knighted as Galahad by Harry as soon as the older agent was crowned as Arthur.  
The whole business was traditionally concluded with a toast. Merlin, fulfilling his role of Kingsman’s custodian, dug up two bottles of Hennesy Beaute, and a clinking of glasses echoed around the ballroom, followed by a chorus of ‘Long live the King!’ for the new Arthur and ‘Honour and Purity’ for the new Galahad.  
Merlin, still in his ceremonial attire, ushered the pair of them out soon afterwards, escorting them to the Kingsman cab and returning to wish the gathering a good night.  
Harry and Eggsy meanwhile snuggled against each other on the backseat of the car, both tipsy and dosing off. Eggsy’s head was pillowed on Harry’s chest, his left arm draped across the older man’s torso, hugging him close. The older Kingsman, in turn, had his arms around the younger knight, holding him protectively and resting his chin on top of Eggsy’s head. Harry managed to stay awake long enough to see Merlin, dressed in his casual clothes, slide into the driver’s seat and program the route to Harry’s house.  
“So... sending me packing already, aren’t you?” Hart mumbled, turning his head to nose through Eggsy’s hair. “Weren’t you the one to go all the way to claim me as yours?”  
“You’re still mine,” Merlin replied calmly. “But I happen to be the one destined to keep both of you safe, and I’d rather have you in my sight as often as possible...”  
“A bit problematic to do that from the guest room,” Harry remarked, voice thick with drowsiness. “My bed is wide enough for all three of us, you know.”  
Merlin chuckled, shaking his head. “Lad is going to have a fit waking up sandwiched between us, don’t you think?”  
The new Arthur hummed, trying to tug the blond even closer. “Who says he is going to be in the middle? I’m the owner of the bed, I get exclusive rights.”  
“Cheeky bastard,” Merlin grumbled, but the smile he flashed at Harry through the rear view mirror spoke volumes on its own.  
“Would not be fun otherwise,” Harry stifled a yawn. “Besides, I and Eggsy are both prone to nightmares at the moment, and I have it on the good authority he tends to panic if he wakes up constrained in any way. Me, on the hand...”  
“Yes, I know,” the wizard confirmed. “Firsthand experience, remember?”  
“Of course,” Harry yawned again. “Oh, and it was a waste of a bloody good Hennesy, by the way. I really hope I won’t find my agents tomorrow sleeping on the floor in the ballroom, Merlin.”  
“Not on the floor per se, Arthur,” the wizard remarked. “Morgana, Percival, Tristan and Lancelot are taking care of the situation.”  
“In which way, dare I ask?” Harry had trouble keeping his eyes open, and Eggsy trying to burrow deeper into his chest wasn’t making it easier.  
“They are bringing out lilos,” Merlin clarified. “Don’t worry, Harry, we have everything under control. Go to sleep. You need it.”  
“Wake me up when we’ll get home,” Hart closed his eyes. “Eggsy’s in no condition to walk on his own and I’d rather not to have you throwing out your back again carrying him.”  
“Go to sleep, Harry,” Merlin repeated softly. “We’ll sort everything out.”  
Hart yawned once again, carded his fingers through Eggsy’s hair, eliciting a murmur of content from the younger man, and promptly fell asleep.  
Merlin turned his head to look at his companions, a soft smile tugging at his lips, then checked the navigation display and shifted a bit, leaning his head against the headrest and closing his eyes. The navigation system was his invention, sophisticated enough to drive them safely to their destination.  
Not just a destination, Merlin thought, warmth spreading in his chest. A place he could finally call home…  
_He should have told Merlin about his dreams._  
_He should have explained that falling asleep became his worst fear._  
_He shouldn’t have allowed Eggsy to talk him into this two-week vacation._  
_He shouldn’t… But did he have a choice?_  
_He knew Merlin and Eggsy meant well, and they couldn’t have known about his alter ego, but right now he wished they would’ve just left him alone._  
_His other self was too smart for its own good. The damned thing sensed his connection with Eggsy, and twisted this knowledge to use against him. There was no other explanation for the fact of his protégé standing right in front of him with a devilish smirk on his face. The younger man’s suit was impeccable, the pocket square snowy-white, cuffs pulled out according to requirements, and his tie tied in a perfect Windsor knot._  
_“You are hard to please,” the thing with Eggsy’s face remarked, crossing his arms on his chest. “I chose the one you seem to care about because I need you to listen to me, but you appear to be trying to shield yourself. Why?”_  
_“Good question,” Harry mirrored his vis-à-vis pose. “I can be wrong, of course, but it might have something to do with the fact of you forcing me to kill Merlin last time.”_  
_“And you enjoyed it,” not-Eggsy tilted his head to the right. “At least have a dignity to admit it.”_  
_“I’m not going to deny it was somehow pleasurable experience,” Harry confirmed. “But I take no pride in using my skills to hurt people.”_  
_“Shame, that,” his alter ego took a step forward, closing the distance between them and grasping his arms. “You were shaped and polished into an ideal killer. It became your nature, so why are you trying to fight it all of a sudden?”_  
_“I have my reasons,” Harry shrugged his shoulders and tried to remain nonchalant as his vis-à-vis let go and started circling him slowly. “And you are not so clever after all if you can’t understand them.”_  
_There was a flash of light behind him, and Harry turned to see Eggsy in his favourite tracksuit, snapback and winged trainers._  
_“Harry?” the blond blinked in confusion and the older Kingsman furrowed his eyebrows. Could it be real Eggsy this time?_  
_“Yes, Eggsy?” he replied carefully, trying to see the answer in the young Unwin’s green eyes._  
_The boy held his gaze without blinking. “Wot’s goin’ on, ‘arry? Where are we?”_  
_“Dreaming, apparently,” Harry allowed himself to relax a little. “A strange dream, by the way, because there appears to be the two of you.”_  
_Eggsy chuckled quietly then shook his head. “That’s a bit much, ‘arry.”_  
_“Excellent choice of words, my boy,” Hart chuckled, the corners of his lips curving up in a grin. “You as you are quite enough for an old wreck like me.”_  
_As he had expected, the younger man immediately huffed in annoyance. “Will ya give it a rest, ‘arry? You are not old!”_  
_“I’m twice your age, Eggsy,” Harry reminded him softly, feeling a spark of warmth spreading in his chest at his protégé’s fevered reassurance._  
_“They say that a good wine gets even better with time,” Eggsy replied, a mischievous glint lighting his moss green eyes._  
_“Well, at least I taught you the art of flattery,” Harry grinned, and a moment later Eggsy was rolling his eyes and rushing forward. The older agent tensed for a moment, preparing to be tackled to the ground, but the blond just sort of flowed into him, his arms encircling Harry and pulling him close. “Easy, my boy. I’m not going anywhere.”_  
_“I know,” Eggsy rested his forehead against the crook of Harry’s neck, inhaling deeply. “It’s just…”_  
_“Sometimes knowing is not enough,” Harry nodded slightly and nosed through the boy’s hair, messing them a bit more. “I totally understand, believe me. I may not exactly be a touchy-feely type, as they tend to call it, but I do appreciate physical closeness from time to time.”_  
_Eggsy pulled away, his eyes wide in disbelief. “You? Harry Hart, master of honey pot missions? Not a touchy-feely type? Looks like Valentine seriously messed your brains up, guv.”_  
_“There’s a fine line between work and private life of an agent, my boy,” Harry explained, sliding his arms around Eggsy and hugging him closer. “I’m entirely capable of being a professional in matters of the flesh while remaining asexual. It’s a bit of a strain, granted, but…”_  
_Eggsy’s hand covered his mouth, shushing him gently. “You do realise that I will remember everything you said, even if this is just a dream?” the blond whispered, his eyes shining with adoration. “Thanks for trusting me, Harry.”_  
_The older man kissed his palm and tugged his hand away. “It’s the least I can do, Eggsy. Thank you for accepting me.”_  
_“It’s the least I can do,” Eggsy echoed, winking at him. “Let’s embarrass Merlin!”_  
Harry’s eyes snapped open and he looked down, meeting Eggsy’s sleepy gaze.  
“Are you okay, Harry?” the blond whispered, placing his hand on Harry’s cheek.  
“Never better,” the older man covered his hand with his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Merlin, are we there yet?”  
“Almost,” the wizard replied, turning to look at them. “I happen to remember you offering to help carry Eggsy upstairs…”  
“Oi!” the man in question scrambled to pull himself upright. “No need to overdo it, ‘arry, I can walk on my own.”  
Harry opened his mouth to reply but Merlin cut him short, opening the car door and getting out. “Let’s get it inside, gentlemen.”


	4. Midnight Confession

Merlin went in first, with Harry and Eggsy trailing sleepily in his wake. The Scot toed off his shoes and looked at his companions who were leaning back against the front door, clinging to each other.  
“Arthur, Galahad,” the wizard’s voice sounded stern, but there was a hint of warmth hidden underneath. “Off to bed with you and we’ll talk in the morning.”  
“Yes, Merlin,” both men replied simultaneously then traded glances.  
“Joining us, guv?” Eggsy winked, sliding his arm around Harry’s shoulders and starting to pull the older man forward. “I’m greedy, you know, so don’t even think about legging it to the guest room.”  
“Hasn’t even crossed my mind,” Merlin raised his eyebrows, taking a step forward and pivoting on his heels to flank Harry. “I need to warn you though, lad: I’m greedy too, so no crawling out of bed in the middle of the night. Except for the wee trip to the loo, of course.”  
“Bossy,” Eggsy murmured, matching his stride to his partners’. “Harry?”  
“No need to intimidate our boy, Merlin,” Hart sneaked his arm around Eggsy’s waist. “He is already committed.”  
“Yours,” the blond said dreamily. “I like how it sounds. Does it mean you both are mine now too?”  
“Of course, lad,” Merlin confirmed, guiding all of them up the stairs, and Harry silently squeezed the blond closer. “We are yours too. Get used to that.”  
“Gladly,” Eggsy yawned and continued to saunter along. “By the way, Merlin, did Harry tell you his secret?”  
“He has many,” the wizard replied as they came to the bedroom door. “To which one are you referring?”  
The blond reached out and pushed the door open. “About not being the one to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh.”  
Merlin stopped abruptly, turning to look at Harry in astonishment. “When did ya manage to tell him that?”  
Harry was totally prepared to answer, but Eggsy beat him to it. “It may sound crazy, guv, but he did in a dream while you were driving us here.”  
Merlin’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead. Harry gave a long-suffering sigh.  
“Don’t ask,” Hart mumbled and went into the bedroom. Eggsy shrugged his shoulders and followed. Merlin brought up the rear.  
“I don’t want to know,” the wizard announced, closing the door and starting to undress. “If it’s fine with both of you, it’s fine with me too.”  
“Good, then,” Harry took off his ceremonial suit and hang it in the closet. “Eggsy?”  
“Absolutely,” the young Galahad made a quick work on his own clothes and put them next to Harry’s. “Now wot?”  
“Now we go to bed,” Merlin drew the covers down. “Harry? Do ya want to be in the middle?”  
“Kinky,” Eggsy breathed out, sauntering towards the bed. “I get to cuddle ya, ‘arry?”  
“You are most welcome, my boy,” Harry pulled on his favourite pyjamas, rolled his shoulders in relief and claimed his place in the middle of the bed. Wriggling around a bit and finally getting comfortable, he stretched his arm towards Merlin. “Dair?”  
Eggsy’s mouth fell open. “Dair? Are you taking a piss, ‘arry?”  
“No, he isn’t, Eggsy,” Merlin finished getting into pyjamas of his own and looked at the shocked blond. “I never told you my name, lad, so it’s time to correct that. I’m Alasdair. Dair for short, if you will.”  
“You didn’t think his name was really Merlin, did you, Eggsy?” Harry lowered his arm and watched as the Scot took his place beside him. “Get in, my dearest boy. You are barely holding yourself up.”  
The blond nodded and crawled into the bed, settling behind Harry. The older Kingsman shifted back, moulding himself against Eggsy’s front and allowing the younger man to drape an arm around his waist. Merlin waited for them to settle, then moved up and forward, tucking Harry’s head under his chin and moving his right arm to rest it possessively over his partners’ bodies.  
Feeling cosy and comfy between his dearest friends, Harry closed his eyes and was out like a light a moment after…  
_He was back in a dream, standing inside a huge empty safe house with Eggsy tied to a chair in front of him. The blond’s eyes were wide with fear, and Harry finally registered a comfortable and familiar weight in his outstretched hand._  
_Kingsman standard issue pistol, sighted on Eggsy’s head, with the safety clicked off._  
_The blond’s lips moved soundlessly, his breathing coming out in short wheezing gasps._  
_Harry’s arm began to tremble, and somebody stepped closer to him from behind, the stranger’s hand sliding along his arm, steadying it._  
_Only it wasn’t a stranger at all – a grey pinstriped fabric of the suit, a signet ring glinting on the little finger, a sharp aroma of the familiar cologne told Harry everything he needed to know._  
_His darker self, this time having an audacity to duplicate his own appearance. No wonder Eggsy was terrified._  
_His doppelganger chuckled in delight, warm breath tickling the shell of Harry’s ear. “Such a beauty, isn’t he? A true warrior, honourable and courageous. Taking his life should prove to be a heavenly pleasure.”_  
_The Kingsman wrestled his arm out of his double’s grasp, letting the gun clatter to the floor. “Oh, I don’t think so.”_  
_The dark Harry huffed in disappointment. “Must you be so annoyingly stubborn? You are spoiling all the joy.”_  
_“’arry..,” Eggsy’s voice sounded small and scared. “’arry, wot’s goin’ on? Which one is the real you?”_  
_“Pff,” the dark Harry took a step away, bending to retrieve the pistol. “Not so clever after all. Chester was right about him. Just a chav, unsuitable for Kingsman.”_  
_“It would be better for you to shut the hell up,” Hart turned slowly to face his double, his voice brimming with anger. “Frankly, I’ve had enough of your mockery, and I think it’s time for you to go.”_  
_“Such passion going to waste,” the dark Harry clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “I despise wasted opportunities,” with that, he jerked his arm up and pulled the trigger twice…_  
Eggsy and Harry woke up screaming, trashing on the bed and clutching at each other in despair.  
Merlin cursed under his breath and threw himself on top of both of his partners, pinning them down. He got a few painful kicks for his trouble, but managed to stay put, murmuring soothing nonsense in his thick Scottish brogue. It helped: Harry quieted first, enveloping Eggsy in a full body hug after a bit of determined wriggling, and the blond stilled not long after that, pressing his face into Harry’s neck and sobbing quietly.  
Merlin rolled off them at this point and propped himself up on his elbow. “Okay, we need to talk. Anyone for tea?”  
Eggsy was still crying, so Harry had to decide for both of them. “Good idea. But nothing stimulating, Merlin – it’s still the middle of the night.”  
The wizard raised his eyebrows. “I can make it warm milk and honey, then.”  
The blond perked up at that, raising his head and giving Merlin his best puppy-eyed look. “Tha’ would be aces, guv.”  
“Fine,” the Scot headed towards the door. “But ya both helping.”  
Eggsy was up and off the bed in a blink of an eye. “Sure thing, guv. ‘arry, you wif us?”  
The older man stretched on the bed, tightening and flexing his muscles, then rolled off and landed on his feet in one graceful movement. “Of course. How can I pass such a delightful opportunity of being with my two favourite men?”  
Together, they made their way downstairs and into the kitchen, with Merlin leading and Harry and Eggsy clinging to each other for support – moral more than physical. The wizard just let them have this closeness for a while – they would have plenty of time to set things right at the dining table.  
As soon as they reached the kitchen, Merlin took a seat and looked at his companions. “Harry, although I’m familiar with the territory, it would be better if I let you take charge of the process. Eggsy, you are helping him get everything done.”  
“A handler never leaves his work, even if he’s at home,” the young Galahad smirked, his posh accent appearing in full force. “I guess we have no choice, haven’t we, Arthur?” he nudged Harry towards the fridge with his hip.  
The Kingsman agent rolled his eyes. “And here I was, thinking that as Arthur I would have the privilege of just giving orders and then sitting back and relaxing.”  
“Oh, really?” tired of Harry’s stalling, Eggsy took him by the shoulders and propelled forward. “No offense, Arthur, but you’ll go bonkers two days after sitting your arse down in your office. You’re a bloody fantastic field agent, and even a bullet to the head can’t change that.”  
“He has a point,” Merlin remarked, causing Harry to level a scorching glare in his direction. “Take this very occasion, for example. As soon as I suggested preparing warm milk, you all but jumped out of bed. Making it look like you were indulging us, of course, but I happen to know you enough to see through the whole act.”  
Eggsy meanwhile raided the fridge and the cupboards, digging up milk and honey and putting them on the counter near the stove. “Thanks for support, guv,” the blond turned to look at the man in question. “So, boss, care to prove us wrong?”  
Harry straightened and treated his companions with his patented ‘no-nonsense’ stare. “Dining room, both of you. Milk will be along shortly.”  
Merlin was the first to move, getting up and walking out of the small kitchen. He slung his arm across Eggsy’s shoulders on the way, towing the younger man along, and the blond went willingly, grateful for the reassurance and support. The wizard intended to park his charge at the table, but changed his plan en route, allowing the youngster to catch him into a shameless clinging embrace for a few moments. Whatever happened in the dream, it had Eggsy shaken to the core, and Merlin just couldn’t bear seeing usually cheeky and cheery blond in such depressing state.  
Harry, having deposited three glasses of hot milk on the dining room table, joined them soon after, sliding his arms around both of them and sealing them inside a protective and supporting embrace. Eggsy, feeling reassured, relaxed almost instantly, and Merlin turned his head, placing a chaste kiss on Harry’s temple.  
“Thanks,” Eggsy mumbled, tucking his head under Merlin’s chin and grabbing a fistful of Harry’s pyjama top. “This damned dream almost turned me brain into a scrambled egg.”  
Both older men tightened their embrace. “Don’t worry, my boy, you have nothing to fear now,” Harry reassured. “Although you are right, the dream was rather unpleasant. It’s urgent that we restore your sense of being safe and secure. Do you think you are ready for that glass of milk we were discussing earlier?”  
“Most definitely,” the blond reluctantly let go of Harry and Merlin, causing both men to pull back in return – although slowly and carefully. “And we’re going to talk afterwards, right?”  
“If you’re both up to it, lad,” Merlin replied, moving to claim his place at the table. “Something’s not right and I need to sort it out, but I can’t do that without your help.”  
“It is more my problem than Eggsy’s, Merlin,” Harry escorted his protégé to the table, sat him down and put the glass in his hands. “He is merely along for the ride.”  
“Oi!” the person in question abandoned the glass of milk in favour of crossing his arms on his chest and pouting. “I wos tryin’ ta help too, you know.”  
“I know, believe me,” the Kingsman placed his hand on the younger man’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I was merely stating that if it wasn’t for Valentine…”  
“Everything would’ve been different, I know,” Eggsy finished. “But it happened, Harry. Now we need to fix whatever’s wrong wif ya.”  
“Which brings us to the topic of your problem, Harry,” Merlin piped in, taking a sip from his glass. “Drink your milk, both of you, and then we’ll talk.”  
Harry and Eggsy obeyed without any objections, and for a couple of minutes the room was silent. The blond closed his eyes, his expression blissful, and Harry’s deep brown eyes were alight with soft fondness.  
Merlin finished his milk first and leaned back in his chair, watching his companions closely but not saying a word.  
It was Eggsy who broke the silence first, pushing his empty glass away and crossing his arms on his chest. “So, ‘arry, wot is it wif you an’ your evil twin?”  
Merlin frowned at that, but kept silent.  
Harry cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Don’t want to alarm you, my friends, but I think I’m going mad.”  
As soon as he had said that, Eggsy was out of his seat, around the table and into Harry’s personal space, hugging him tightly from behind. Merlin’s frown deepened, but other than that he gave no reaction.  
Comforted by the blond’s proximity, Harry placed his hands on top of Eggsy’s arms, took another deep breath and started talking. He told them everything, every detail of his nightmares, and all through his painful narrative Eggsy kept holding him, his touch calming and supporting the older agent.  
By the time his story was finished, Harry felt absolutely drained and exhausted. Eggsy was still clinging to him, his embrace short of suffocating, but Harry accepted it without any complaints.  
Merlin heaved a deep sigh and started drumming his fingers on the tabletop. “There’s never an easy way with you, Harry, is there?” he grumbled. “Psych counselling is out of the question, I guess?”  
Harry’s answering glare shut him up right and proper, causing to roll his eyes and start planning an alternative course of action.


	5. Ghosts of the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mention of rape/non-con in this chapter!!!

“You are going to get muscle cramps, Eggsy, if you are planning to continue smothering me like that,” Harry commented, giving the younger man’s arm a reassuring squeeze. As he expected, the blond immediately let him go and pulled back.

“Shit, ‘arry, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“Better than I would’ve been without your support, my dear boy,” Harry turned in his seat to look at him, raising an eyebrow. “Allow me to ask you the same question: are YOU okay?”

“Of course I am, ‘arry. I’m not the one whose brain has a death wish,” Eggsy blurted out, regretting it as soon as he saw Harry’s expression closing off. “And I did it again. Sorry, Harry.”

“As much as I’d like to scold you, you are, unfortunately, quite right,” the Kingsman closed his eyes in exhaustion. “God, what a mess I am…”

“We’ll sort you out,” Merlin interrupted firmly, rising from the chair and planting his palms on the table. “But only after having several hours of sound sleep. And by ‘sound’ I mean…”

“Kingsman marvelous sleeping pills, of course,” their new Arthur murmured dejectedly. “It only proves my point, Merlin.”

“It does, but now’s not the time to dwell on that,” collecting all empty glasses, the Scot carried them to the sink. “Just take the damn pill and go back to bed, Harry.”

“I’ll help him, Merlin,” Eggsy placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Come on, boss, let’s get you settled.”

The late Chester King would’ve probably taken offence regarding the young Galahad’s behaviour; fortunately, Harry Hart wholeheartedly embraced the concept of everything evolving with time, so he accepted Eggsy’s offer without any argument.

Together, they made their way back to the bedroom, where Harry obediently took the pill. He was a bit surprised by Merlin’s reluctance to join them right away, though; the wizard was clearly uncomfortable with Eggsy being so direct and clingy, and if Harry hasn’t known Alasdair for so many years, he would’ve thought…

Stop.

Rewind.

Can’t be.

Yes, of course, they both were adults, they knew each other for more than twenty years, they had been through thick and thin, they had their fallouts, but…

“Harry, you need to lie down,” Eggsy’s soothing voice wormed its way into the older man’s thoughts, throwing his focus off. He frowned, trying to get back on track, but right at that moment Eggsy decided to assist him with getting into horizontal position, and Harry’s mind went completely blank. Eggsy, apparently, took Harry’s lack of protest as acquiescence and leaned down to place a soft kiss on the older man’s forehead. “Go to sleep, Harry. We’ll sort everything out in the morning.”

Harry sighed in content, closing his eyes and falling asleep a moment later; Eggsy, noticing that, smiled and started to pull away, only to be startled by Merlin bursting into the bedroom.

The Scot took in the sight before him, placed his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes. “We need to talk, lad. Now.”

The blond finished pulling himself upright and raised his hands in placating gesture. “Okay, guv, whatever you say. Just not ‘ere. He’s finally fallen asleep.”

Merlin looked at Harry’s peaceful expression and his face softened. “Of course. Harry’s study. Meet me here in a minute,” with that he turned on his heels and disappeared from view.

Eggsy leaned to place another kiss on Harry’s forehead and carefully tugged the blanket over his sleeping boss, tucking him in. Harry murmured something and turned on his side, getting comfortable. Eggsy waited a little while Harry settled, then righted the blanket and left the bedroom.

When the blond got to the study, Merlin was sitting at Harry’s work table, leaning back in the chair with his arms crossed on his chest. He looked fairly intimidating, and Eggsy, trying his best to appear nonchalant, crossed the room and plopped down into the chair in the corner.

“You wanted ta talk, guv?” he crossed his arms on his chest too, mirroring the Scot’s pose. “I’m listenin’.”

“First of all, while I’m not exactly happy with you trying to snatch Harry from me, I’ll let you get away with it,” Merlin leaned forward, resting his arms on the tabletop. “You, lad, happen to be Harry’s soulmate, and I’m a Guardian for both of you. It’s a long story, one that we don’t have time to discuss now, so we’re saving it till later.”

“Okay,” Eggsy breathed out, a bit shell-shocked. “Taking your word fo’ it.”

“Good,” a ghost of a smile touched Merlin’s lips, and was gone the next moment. “Our main topic, then. You and Harry shared the same dream, as I understand. We both heard Harry’s version, but what about yours? Can you tell me about it?”

After Merlin’s words about soulmates nothing could surprise Eggsy, it seemed, but he still attempted to treat the situation with a degree of scepticism. “Seriously, Merlin?”

“Quite,” the Scot’s voice shifted into his usual work intonation. “Since Harry refuses professional help, it’s now our mission to assist him in dealing with his problem. For that, I need all available information, lad. So what exactly can you tell me?”

As soon as Merlin went all businesslike, Eggsy straightened in his chair, his cheeky persona melting away and being replaced by a true Kingsman one: an agent giving his report after a mission. “Not much, sir. Arthur was thorough in his description. The only thing I can add is that the other one appears to have trouble with gaining total control over our King. Arthur keeps resisting him, quite successfully, I might add. But the other is stubborn, and eventually may succeed in breaking Arthur.”

“To what end, Galahad?” Merlin’s expression was clouded, right hand tapping a quick staccato on the tabletop, but Eggsy seriously doubted it was work related. The wizard was nervous, and that realisation sent a chill running down the blond’s back.

“I think one part of Harry want him to lose it, Merlin,” Eggsy leaned forward, shuddering. “You should’ve seen this thing’s face when it pulled the trigger. I bet Harry looked just the same when he was in that church. And it shot Harry too, so – death wish.”

“I was afraid you would say so, lad,” Merlin leaned back in the chair again. “Helping him is going to be an extremely difficult task. Especially because we’re going to deal with it ourselves.”

Eggsy nodded, his expression serious. “Sure, guv. What’s the plan?”

“We need to break him first,” Merlin said, raising his hand to stop Eggsy’s indignant protest. “Just hear me out, lad.”

Eggsy grumbled something under his breath but settled again, fixing Merlin with intense gaze.

“I know you care about him, lad,” Merlin began, his dark eyes sympathetic. “But I’ve worked in Kingsman more than twenty years, and seen a lot of good men die or go insane in our line of work. Harry had his breakdowns too; a couple of them threatened to end him for good, but he pulled through. Alone, because he’s that stubborn.”

Eggsy frowned. “But you know about that, so not completely alone, I guess?”

“I missed a few ones, but after the one when I had to talk him out of blowing himself up during a suicide mission, I keep an eye on him,” the corners of Merlin’s mouth twitched downwards. “He isn’t as impassive as he tries to appear. Provided, of course, you’d manage to get through his defenses first.”

“Done that,” the blond piped in.

“Yes, you have,” Merlin confirmed and paused, his expression unreadable.

Eggsy didn’t like it one bit.

“The question is,” the wizard paused again, pressing his lips in a thin, unhappy line, “would you be able to hurt him if the need arises?”

“Wot?” the blond spluttered, his eyes wide. “No! Merlin, what the hell…”

“I thought as much,” the Scot sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them and fixing Eggsy with a piercing stare. “Do you know why Harry refuses to see psychotherapist?”

Eggsy narrowed his eyes and shook his head, wary of Merlin now.

The Scot folded his arms on his chest, his expression distant. “As you probably aware, Kingsman has a strict policy concerning employment of specialists in this field. Last twenty five years, to be exact. We were forced to make such decision after the incident with Harry.”

Merlin made an intentional pause, and Eggsy filled it right away, eager to find out something new about the man who became his role model. Harry Hart could hardly be called an ideal man, but his flaws made him unique and thus more personally attractive for Eggsy. “Wot kind o’ incident, Merlin?”

Merlin frowned and bit his lip, causing Eggsy to do a double take.

Merlin.

Biting his lip.

The world was surely about to turn upside down.

Unaware of the blond’s revelation, the wizard took a deep breath, finally deciding to continue with his - or, rather, Harry’s - story.

“Perhaps you’ve already heard from someone that there’s a category of agents which are usually called ‘the lucky ones’. They are effective on missions, rarely make mistakes, and almost never give the med bay a pleasure to see them.”

“Seems like an interesting bunch of people to meet,” Eggsy interrupted, his expression excited.

“Yes, of course,” Merlin smiled. “But there’s also a saying about the exceptions confirming the rule, Eggsy. You can be on top of the world, but sooner or later there would be a day when your luck will run out. The consequences can be quite disastrous. Harry’s period of luck lasted five years, and his fall from grace was terrifying. It was supposed to be a simple recon mission, but due to deliberate disinformation it turned into a bloodbath. We managed to get Harry out alive, but only barely. He was seriously wounded, nearly died under an operation afterwards, and spent six month in recovery. Psych counseling was a part of it, but if we only knew..,” the Scot paused, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “To tell the truth, I can perfectly understand Doctor Avery: despite being an asexual, Harry was quite a charmer. And his looks worked equally on both sexes, even if he never made a deliberate attempt to please anybody.”

“They still do,” Eggsy murmured, a dreamy expression appearing on his face.

“Got you too, didn’t he, lad?” Merlin remarked softly, lips curling into a knowing smile. “Doc Avery had no chance either. Pity he took everything too far,” the wizard’s dark eyes narrowed. “I chose not to question Harry about the details afterwards, but I happen to know he told Avery about his preferences,” Merlin paused, his eyes sad. “But apparently, Doc was from the category of people who don’t accept rejection kindly.”

The blond shuddered, seemingly anticipating Merlin’s next words. “It wos bad, innit?”

“Fortunately for Harry, Avery was a total amateur when it came to technology,” the wizard leaned forward again, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together. “He tried to fool me with a pre-recorded feed from his office, but did it so clumsily that managed to trigger an alarm in our security system. I rushed to check everything out,” Merlin’s face creased at an unhappy memory. “By the time I managed to override the lock and get inside, Harry was almost incoherent from shock. God, the look of him!” the Scot clenched his eyes shut, shaking his head. “Bound, helpless, terrified and bleeding… I was ready to tear Avery to pieces. But Harry stopped me. He pulled himself together long enough to get us out of Doc’s office, then asked me to accompany him to the bathroom. When we got there, he sent me to fetch him some fresh clothes,” Merlin swallowed and looked anywhere but at Eggsy. “I fell for that. A textbook distraction. By the time I returned, Harry had already disappeared,” Merlin paused again, this time locking gazes with the blond. “I couldn’t prove anything, we were unable to find Harry, and he was declared MIA for three months. Avery continued his duties, but not for long,” the wizard scowled darkly. “A car crash due to some minor malfunction. I was told his death hadn’t been pretty.”

Eggsy took a shuddering breath, only now realising he had been holding it all through Merlin’s monologue. “So, this Doctor Avery...”

“Drugged and then raped Harry, yes,” the Scot said bluntly. “And got what he deserved afterwards.”

“You’re a dangerous man, guv,” Eggsy shook his head slightly, his expression perplexed. “But som’thin’ ain’t fitting here.”

“Such as?” Merlin rested his chin on his clasped hands, his lips quirking into a small smile.

“Why didn’t you call for backup and wot happen’d to your glasses?” the blond tilted his head to the side. “You always have everything under control.”

“I kept everything secret because Harry asked me to,” Merlin elaborated. “Perhaps you’re aware of the fact that some rape victims tend to think everything that happened was their fault.”

Eggsy frowned. “Why should I be aware of that?”

The wizard gave exasperated sigh, booted up Harry’s laptop, typed something and turned the screen towards the young agent. “Personal experience?”

Eggsy’s face went pale. “H-how?” he stammered. “I didn’t... Nobody could know...”

“Harry asked me the same – not to tell anyone,” Merlin said softly. “What YOU managed to sort out, HE chose to forget. Sorry, lad. It’s Kingsman policy to know everything about its agents. Harry kept an eye on you since your father’s death. Due to the same policy he couldn’t interfere, but he had been planning to propose you as his candidate as soon as the opportunity presented itself.”

“So why he didn’t show up sooner?” Eggsy was a bit irritated. “An’ he told me he had read my file. Isn’t the same as keepin’ an eye on me, guv.”

“There’s a protocol about things which a Knight allowed to tell his candidate,” Merlin’s face hardened. “Harry can be a bit stubborn, but he will never depart from the grand rule.”

“Alrigh’, guv,” the blond raised his hands. “As you say. So what do you want from me?”

The wizard grinned. “Oh, not much. Nothing unusual for you, anyway. Sort of a honey pot, lad.”

Eggsy matched him grin for grin. “Bring it on then, guv.”


	6. Making Plans

Eggsy didn’t know what to think.  
Of course he already knew what a honey pot mission was, but he wasn’t prepared for the fact of Merlin’s “sort of” being a terrifying one.  
To the wizard’s credit, he was patient and supportive when he asked Eggsy about the incident he tried so hard to keep secret all his life. The blond wasn’t as lucky as Harry – he didn’t have Merlin watching over him at that time. One of Dean’s goons burst into Eggsy’s room when the boy was at home alone, and had his way with him, threatening to break both his legs should Eggsy decide to grass him up. Needless to say, it had been the last thing on the blond’s mind – he was more concerned with stopping the bleeding and getting himself into more or less decent condition.  
Whatever Merlin’s sources were, the wizard did his homework well: he knew that Eggsy sorted the situation out by fulfilling his attacker’s threat, only with the reversed roles. The goon had been returning home from the pub more than slightly drunk when he met someone in the dark backstreet. The stranger was armed with a piece of metal pipe, which he let loose on the goon’s legs after a short verbal confrontation about who should step aside and let the other pass first.  
The damage to the goon’s legs was so severe that he’d never recovered enough to rejoin Dean’s mob. Eggsy did his best not to look smug about it, and from that moment on gave Dean’s muppets as much grief as he’d received.  
The goon, of course, tried to tell Dean about Eggsy, but the blond did his best to distract his step-father and got rid of his attacker, pushing him out of the flat and knocking him out on the stairs. Dean’s gang did the rest, dragging their ex-mate away and dumping him.  
Eggsy never told anyone about his predicament; bit by bit, he learned to live in peace with himself and not to feel tainted.  
“Something’s on your mind, lad?” Merlin enquired, seeing Eggsy’s thoughtful expression.  
“Yes,” the blond’s green eyes focused on him again. “I don’t think roughin’ Harry up is the best choice, Merlin.”  
“You sorted it out,” the wizard murmured. “You weren’t gentle either.”  
“Not the same, guv,” the young agent shook his head. “I had a chance of payback. HE doesn’t.”  
“What are you suggesting, lad?” Merlin never was the one to beat around the bush: if Eggsy thought he had another solution to their problem, the Scot was willing to consider it.  
“Let me talk to him, guv,” the blond lowered his head and looked at Merlin from under his lashes. “I know wot he needs. But I need something from you too.”  
“Just name it, lad,” Merlin lowered his arms, resting them on the table, and leaned forward, looking at Eggsy with interest.  
“Can we get Harry somewhere similar Avery’s office, guv? Might help him to remember everythin’ he tries to avoid,” the blond explained, his eyes sympathetic. “God, Merlin, I hate meself already for everything Imma going to do to him…”  
“We have no choice, lad,” the Scot objected softly. “As for your request, I think I can arrange it. When?”  
“Not today, guv,” Eggsy shook his head in determination. “As far as I know, Harry’s dead to the world at least until tomorrow, so why don’t we go and cuddle him? Morgana told me once that even being sedated and sleeping, I would be able to feel and remember ev’rythin’. Never had a chance to find out if tha’ wos true, but I guess we can ask Harry in the morning.”  
“We certainly can, Eggsy,” the wizard rose from the chair, walking around the table and towards the blond. “Come ‘ere, lad.”  
“Why?” the young agent stayed put, looking at Merlin in suspicion.  
“Because Harry’s not the only one needing cuddles,” the Scot replied patiently, stopping and opening his arms. “Come here, I won’t bite.”  
As soon as Merlin mentioned cuddles, Eggsy was out of the chair and practically leaping forward in his haste to get into the handler’s embrace, so Merlin’s dig went unnoticed. Not that the handler had any regrets: as soon as the blond’s arms sneaked around him, Merlin just switched his rational thinking off and went with the flow, hugging Eggsy in return and savouring his undivided attention.  
It felt pleasant but strange: Merlin was still adjusting to his new status of Guardian, which entailed frequent physical contact, at least with Eggsy. Harry wasn’t so desperate about touching and being touched, and besides, Merlin knew him for so long that could easily read his best friend’s body language.  
Eggsy, on the other hand, despite his cheeky and ‘hands-off’ behaviour, never missed a chance to lay aforementioned hands on his favourite handler. At first, it irritated the Scot to no end, because the blond’s timing tended to be extremely inappropriate, even causing a few rumours to spread through the organisation and making Merlin’s life a living hell for a couple of days. The wizard was still quite proud with the way he sorted the situation out, striking terror in a few agent’s hearts on the way. Not that it was so hard to do: being the chief handler in Kingsman, Merlin had no problem with assigning the most sharp-tongued individuals with the most dreadful missions in the middle of nowhere.  
Eggsy shifted in his embrace and buried his face in the crook of Merlin’s neck, bringing the Scot back to reality. Having the blond in his arms, so pliant and trusting, felt nice, and Merlin tightened his embrace, turning his head and placing a quick kiss on the side of Eggsy’s head. “Good?”  
“Mm-hm,” the blond managed, sounding drowsy and starting to lean on Merlin more heavily. “Would be aces to get back to bed soon, tho’.”  
“Then we need to get moving, lad,” Merlin rumbled softly, making an attempt to extricate himself from Eggsy’s embrace, but the blond stubbornly cling on, giving a whimper of protest. “That will not do, Eggsy. Ease up. Or you want me to carry you and hurt my back again?”  
Eggsy shook his head and pulled away, but kept a hold on Merlin’s arm, which the older man curled around his waist automatically, steadying him and tugging sideways, so they both were now facing the doorway. Eggsy repositioned his arms, sliding one of them around the Scot’s waist and gripping his shoulder with the other, so he now was pressed to the older man’s side.  
“Still not helping, lad,” Merlin voice was filled with amusement. “Come on, it’s not that far. I’m sure you can make it.”  
“I can,” Eggsy agreed, not relinquishing his hold. “The question is, do I want to?”  
Choosing to leave his question unanswered, the Scot shook his head, clicked his tongue and took a step forward, giving the blond no choice but to follow.  
“Not fair,” Eggsy announced, easily keeping up with Merlin’s unhurried gait. He was being a prat, he realised that, but he just couldn’t help it: being near Merlin seemed to bring this side of him out in the open, as if he subconsciously wished to be reprimanded.  
“My, my, aren’t we in a rebellious mood today,” the Scot smirked, continuing to move along the corridor and drag Eggsy with him. “What about Harry, then? Is your mood change worth leaving him alone and helpless?”  
“I’m walkin’,” the blond objected, resting his head against Merlin’s shoulder. “’sides, I left ‘arry warm and comfy, so no point worryin’.”  
“No point, you say?” the Scot cocked an eyebrow. “Nightmares? Ring any bells?”  
“The sleeping pill? Sound asleep?” Eggsy contradicted. “He was dead to the world as soon as he hit the pillow.”  
“Sleeping pills aren’t an absolute cure, lad,” Merlin shook his head slightly. “Especially considering Harry’s problems. If his brain is hell bent on making his life a misery, then we probably just made everything worse.”  
“Shit,” the blond went from half-asleep to alert in two seconds. “We need to move faster. Sorry, Merlin.”  
The wizard readjusted his grip, and they covered the remaining distance in a few hurried strides. As soon as they reached the door, Eggsy gripped the handle and pulled it open.  
They were in time to see Harry trashing violently on the bed, caught in throes of nightmare and losing his battle with the bedclothes.  
Merlin sweared under his breath and made a move to enter the room, but Eggsy suddenly tightened his grip, stopping him.  
“I don’t think so, guv,” the blond said softly. “Maybe it’s better this way.”  
The Scot tried to pull out of his embrace, huffing in annoyance. “Not your brightest idea, Eggsy. We should be helping him, not making things worse.”  
“We will,” the younger man nodded, his green eyes determined. “But I havta ask you something first.”  
Merlin’s face was creased in worry when he turned to look at his young companion, his dark eyes searching Eggsy’s face for an answer. “What is it, lad?”  
“When you found Harry in Avery’s office..,” the blond paused, swallowing nervously, his face displaying obvious discomfort. “You... you said he wos bound, helpless... I think I have an idea, but... How he was bound, guv?”  
The wizard’s face hardened, his expression rapidly closing down as if somebody had flipped the switch. “Doc came up with simple but ingenious idea. He used his own tie to bind Harry’s legs, and Harry’s tie for his hands. And his knots were excellent – I had to cut both ties to free Harry.”  
Eggsy nodded his head, his expression thoughtful. Merlin narrowed his eyes. “Wait, lad. Are you thinking...”  
“It’s only goin’ to get worse, Merlin,” the blond squared his shoulders and looked at the handler with a challenge. “If we let him stew in all this shit any longer, he’ll go mad for real.”  
The Scot looked as if the youngster sucker-punched him in the gut. “I don’t like it, lad, but I’ll do everything to help.”  
“Aces,” Eggsy untangled himself from Merlin and started walking towards the bed. “Get the ties, guv. Just in case.”  
The Scot grunted in acknowledgment and went to the closet, watching the blond out of the corner of his eye. Pulling two random ties off the rack, Merlin turned in time to see Eggsy pause at the foot of the bed.  
“You need to do it, lad,” the handler murmured. “You’re his only hope.”  
“I know,” Eggsy turned his head to look at him over the right shoulder. “I just... I want to try something else first. Can you come here?”  
Merlin nodded and crossed the room, coming into a halt almost shoulder to shoulder with the younger man. “What’s on your mind, Eggsy?”  
The blond lowered his head and peeked at him from under his lashes, suddenly shy, a faint blush colouring his cheeks. “Can you... pin Harry down a bit?”  
“Pin him down, you say?” the Scot grinned, dark eyes alight with mischief. “Who’s kinky now, lad?”  
Eggsy bared his teeth in a broad grin. “Never said I wosn’t, guv.”  
Merlin chuckled and reached out to ruffle the younger agent’s hair. “So what are you going to do while I’m pinning him down?”  
“I’ll be along to whisper in his ear,” Eggsy’s voice dropped into a low seductive murmur, and the Scot was surprised to feel a pleasant shiver running down his spine. The young Galahad learnt his lessons well, it seemed.  
“Cheeky little bugger,” Merlin grumbled affectionately, getting onto the bed and crawling forward to hover over their distraught Arthur. “Joining me?”  
In one smooth move Eggsy planted himself alongside the Scot, stretching comfortably near his soulmate. “Alrigh’, guv. Time for you to drop down.”  
Without further ado, Merlin did just that, folding his arms and pressing Harry down into the bed.  
As soon as Hart found himself restrained, his frantic movements intensified tenfold, and a second later his anguished ‘No!’ stabbed at Merlin and Eggsy’s hearts as a piercing blade.  
“Do something!” the Scot hissed through clenched teeth, trying to keep his terrified charge in place. “It was your brilliant idea, so fix it!”  
Eggsy nodded and pressed closer to his struggling boss, placing his hand on the nape of the older man’s neck and squeezing slightly.  
Harry froze, eyes shut tight, small whimpers escaping from his lips, body taut as string.  
The blond shifted so his lips were near the older knight’s ear, and squeezed his nape again. “Harry,” he said softly, causing the other man to shiver and then relax. “Do you hear me?”  
“Yes,” it came as barely a whisper, but Eggsy nodded and slid his hand up into Harry’s hair, massaging gently.  
“Do you know where you are?” the blond placed a quick kiss behind his soulmate’s ear, which was followed by a sharp intake of breath on Harry’s part.  
“Home,” Hart breathed out. “Bed.”  
“Good,” Eggsy praised, moving his hand so it now rested on Harry’s shoulder. “I need you to look at me, Harry. Can you open your eyes for me?”  
His soulmate tensed again, face crumpling into a painful grimace. “No…”  
“Shh,” Eggsy placed another kiss, this time on Harry’s temple. “You are safe here, Harry. Do you remember who am I and who’s holding you?”  
“Eggsy,” Harry moaned, starting to struggle again. “Merlin… Why?”  
“You were having a nightmare, Harry,” Merlin spoke, his voice a comforting rumble which seemed to calm his best friend because Harry stopped moving completely. “We tried to help. What was in your dream, Harry?”  
Their Arthur was silent for a few moments, then risked to open his eyes slowly.  
“You can let ‘im go, Merlin,” Eggsy murmured, his hand sliding up to card through Harry’s hair again. “Harry’s awake.”  
“Yes,” the man in question confirmed, his voice hoarse. “I’m alright, Dair, you can ease up.”  
The Scot hesitated for a moment, a frown creasing his forehead, but then seemed to acknowledge his partners’ request and shift to the left, freeing Harry.  
“Ah,” Harry took his time to stretch his tired muscles, then flipped onto his back, snuggling into Merlin at the same time. “Excellent. Now what was your question, Dair?”  
“Your dream,” the Scot repeated. “Care to share what all the fuss was about?”  
Harry’s peaceful expression became clouded. “I’d rather not,” he said tersely, closing his eyes.  
“Harry..,” Merlin growled, reaching out to shake his stubborn bedmate, but Eggsy swiftly caught his wrist.  
“Let him sleep, guv,” the blond murmured. “We can ask him in the morning. An’ if he ‘as another nightmare, we take care of that.”  
The Scot looked at him for a few moments, frowning slightly, then gave a small nod. “I think you’re right, lad. He had enough excitement for today. The same goes for you. Scoot closer.”  
They settled after a bit of shifting, with Eggsy pillowing his head on Harry’s chest, and Merlin – on the right shoulder.  
“Sleep tight, lad,” Merlin murmured and, after mumbled ‘Night’ from Eggsy and Harry, closed his eyes.  
All three drifted off in a deep sleep in a few moments after that.


	7. Friends to the Rescue

They weren’t given a chance to talk in the morning: dawn saw Merlin back to the HQ, handling Harry and Eggsy’s joint mission in Sweden. Their presence was personally requested by Princess Tilde, who expressed her concern about some strange events involving her security. Harry switched into Arthur’s mode during their flight, and announced his suspicion about coup d’état. Eggsy, in turn slipping into Galahad persona, argued that Her Royal Highness probably overreacted a bit.  
“She tried to seduce you in the middle of the massacre,” Harry raised an eyebrow. “She is too rational to overreact.”  
“It was gratitude,” Eggsy huffed, not happy with his soulmate’s reminder. “An’ I turned her down!”  
“You’re changing the topic, Galahad,” Arthur’s voice was pointedly cold. “Let’s concentrate on mission at hand, shall we?”  
The young knight struggled to take himself under control. “As you wish, Arthur.”  
“Remind me never to send you on a mission together,” Merlin grumbled in their ears. “By the way, Galahad: refrain from betting on your opinions in the future, because should you decide to do so, you will be left penniless. Especially by Arthur.”  
Eggsy’s mouth tightened. “What the hell are you talking about, Merlin?”  
“Coup d’état in full preparation mode,” the wizard elaborated. “Sending you the blueprints of their underground base. Try not to blow anything up: it’s directly under the palace.”  
“Understood, Merlin,” both men said in unison, trading glances which caused the handler to groan in despair.  
“If anything goes tits up, you’re dealing with the resulting mess personally, Arthur,” Merlin grumbled, and Harry rolled his eyes.  
“Don’t I always?” Hart objected calmly, causing Eggsy to hide a smirk behind a convincingly raised hand.  
“Not with your current level of responsibility, Arthur,” Merlin countered.  
“Point taken, Merlin,” Harry conceded. “Any recommendations concerning escape routes?”  
The handler hummed in affirmation, a rapid clicking coming through the feed. “Transferring data. Everything should work just fine, provided you’d leave the structure intact.”  
“We’ll keep that in mind, Merlin,” Harry replied. “But I think you’re perfectly aware that sometimes things don’t go according to plan, no matter how hard you try. All I can promise is that we would try to act according to the situation.”  
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” the Scot grumbled. “Just try not to get yourselves killed, both of you.”  
“Yes, Merlin,” Harry and Eggsy replied, again in unison, and the handler shook his head, sighing in fond exasperation – these two always managed to turn a simple acknowledgement into endearment, because for him it surely sounded like ‘Yes, Mum’.  
Not to say that it absolutely fitted the bill, because for his agents Merlin had never been anything but: despite being a full-grown adults, Kingsman knights sometimes acted like a bunch of childish, spoiled brats, which drew the Scot up the wall, and only his infinite patience and wisdom were the reasons said agents continued his duties with so much as verbal reprimand.  
Curiously enough, even while claiming that those idiots will be the death of him, Merlin wouldn’t have traded his job for anything in the world.  
“So, Merlin,” Harry broke into the handler’s thoughts, bringing him back to reality. “Our mission directive, as I understand, is to infiltrate the underground complex and neutralise the conspirators. Correct?”  
“Absolutely,” the handler confirmed. “Good luck and be careful, you both.”

* * *

“Shitshitshit!” Eggsy muttered, hoping against hope that Merlin was too preoccupied with Harry’s feed to notice the walls crumbling to pieces around the young Galahad. “Shouldn’t ‘ave let him out of my sight.”

“Pointless, lad,” Merlin’s voice sounded in his ear, its calming cadence snapping Eggsy out of blind panic. “He always gets in trouble, that’s why I sent you with him. Are you alright?”  
“Yeah,” he darted forward, avoiding the falling debris and picking his way between piles of rubble. “Wos out for a couple of minutes – got hit with a piece of the wall, but I’m okay. They took Arthur, though.”  
“Not yet, he’s still fighting,” the Scot reassured. “Took a knock to the head and seems to be bleeding a wee bit, but he’s holding his ground. Can you get to him?”  
Eggsy checked the map of the underground on his glasses and looked around. “Think so. By the way, Merlin – we had nofin’ to do with blowing this place up.”  
“I know, lad,” the handler replied. “Arthur tried to prevent that, but they were quicker. You need to get to him ASAP, Galahad – Arthur’s starting to panic, and we can’t have that.”  
Eggsy ducked again and practically dived through the doorway, guns blazing. “Why would he panic?” he shouted over the gunfire, taking out all the guards who tried to stop him. “He’s a pro, it’s a mission, why panic?”  
“One of them looks like Avery,” Merlin’s voice was quiet but cold as ice.  
“Shit,” Eggsy froze for a second, and it almost cost him his life – one of the remaining guards took aim at the blond’s head, and only Eggsy’s honed reflexes made him duck in time to avoid the untimely death. “Not good.”  
“Get him out, Galahad,” the Scot ordered. “I’m on my way to the extraction point,” there was a click, signalling that the handler switched the channel to his headset. “They managed to tie him up, I'm afraid. But we’ll take care of him on the plane.”  
Eggsy stormed through another doorway, lips pressed together into a thin unhappy line, and vaulted over the barricade of chairs, his guns dealing death to everybody in the room. “How far are they?”  
“In the next one,” judging by the rapid breathing, Merlin was running to the plane. “The door is blocked, so you need to blow it up. Arthur, if you hear me, just hold on a bit, Galahad's coming for ya.”  
For a few moments their channel was silent, then Merlin and Eggsy heard a pained grunt. “Hurts...”  
“Shit,” both men swore under their breath, and the youngster run to the door, rigging two lighters (aka hand grenades) on the way.  
“Be careful, lad,” there was a sound of an engine powering up. “As soon as you in, shoot to kill.”  
“Gladly,” Eggsy placed his grenades and, activating them, backed away, reloading his guns.  
Merlin barely had time to mute the channel before the explosion hit; he could only hope Harry was out of range, otherwise...  
No. Everything should be alright. He was their Guardian, he would have sensed if something had happened to Harry. Not to say that Eggsy was Harry’s soulmate, and the young man was as calm as he could, considering the circumstances.  
“Merlin,” said soulmate hissed, bringing the wizard back to reality. “Merlin, I’m going in. Are you close?”  
The Scot glanced at the navigation display. “Ten minutes till landing.”  
“Good,” the view of the room tilted as the blond peeked out to check the result of his actions. A hail of bullets made him jerk back behind the cover. “The fucker ain’t dead, apparently.”  
“Clever bastard,” Merlin grumbled. “Be careful, Galahad.”  
The view shifted again as Eggsy pushed himself up and flipped through the air, emptying both guns in his adversary’s supposed direction. The gunfire was returned by his opponent until the blond heard a pained cry and then a sound of a body hitting the ground.  
Praying that he hasn’t hit Harry, Eggsy did a somersault and felt a bullet collide with the bulletproof fabric of his suit.  
Someone was still alive, and that meant Harry was in danger.  
The blond landed and regrouped, scanning the room and reloading both guns. His soulmate was in the corner, unconscious and suspended with his hands bound and attached to the hook hanging on a chain from the ceiling. Harry’s suit was torn in several places and his white shirt was stained with his own blood.  
Eggsy looked away, but Merlin managed to notice the most distressing detail.  
Harry’s trousers were missing.  
The wizard didn’t want to think about what it could mean.  
The young Galahad was obviously disturbed too, judging by the ferocity with which he emptied the entire clip into the remaining enemy.  
“You need to calm down, lad,” Merlin instructed as Eggsy strode toward his unconscious soulmate. “We don’t know what happened. I’ve just landed. Can you get him to the plane?”  
“Of course, guv,” Eggsy stopped in front of Harry and, getting his pocket knife out, cut through the rope binding his wrists. “I’m ready to blow our way out if necessary,” the blond caught his partner’s motionless body, preventing his fall. “Damn, he’s heavy.”  
“He always gains a bit of weight when he’s cut out from field work,” the Scot murmured. “You don’t need to blow anything up, by the way: I’m sending you the information about the shortest escape route.”  
“Got it!” Eggsy hoisted his unresponsive soulmate up and over his shoulder, grunted, righted himself and started towards the exit, managing to grab a tablecloth on the way and drape it around Harry. “He’s still wearing his pants, Merlin – guess it ain’t so bad.”  
“That’s good. And luckily for us, the underground structure appears to be intact after all the explosions,” Merlin commented. “You are going to come out of one of the hidden entrances inside the palace. I’ll be there to meet you and bring Her Royal Highness up to date.”  
“Much appreciated,” the blond grumbled, squeezing through a narrow deformed doorway and trying not to jar his injured soulmate. “I’m two clicks from the staircase.”  
“Good. I’m near the entrance to the palace. Meet you in ten,” the Scot muted the connection.  
Next twenty minutes Eggsy kept his focus on his soulmate, leaving the task of wrapping the mission up to Merlin. The Scot looked dashing in his pilot uniform, but the blond only had eyes and ears for Harry at the moment. His mentor was still out of it completely, and the younger man was starting to worry – their Arthur needed help, and time was of the essence, so Eggsy readjusted his grip on the older agent’s body and leaned closer to Merlin.  
“Merlin, he’s barely breathing,” the blond whispered, his voice urgent. “Can we go?”  
“Just a moment,” the Scot said under his breath, and switched to Swedish, summarising his report to Princess Tilde.  
Eggsy huffed a breath, shifted from foot to foot, then swore quietly. “Damn it. Merlin, I’m going to the plane.”  
The handler managed to clamp a hand on his shoulder without looking. “I’m nearly done.”  
“Arthur’s too,” the young Galahad hissed, wrenching his shoulder out of Merlin’s grip and pivoting on his heels. “Say sorry to Her Highness for me.”  
“Galahad!” Merlin hissed back, but Eggsy paid him no attention, marching across the room.  
The Scot turned to Princess Tilde, apology on the tip of his tongue, only to see the blond woman dispatch two of her guards, giving them the order to assist the young Kingsman.  
Eggsy may have squealed a bit when he was suddenly and unexpectedly relieved of his burden, although later he denied that with vehemence. The small group soon passed the doors, disappearing from view: one of the guards carried Harry, with Eggsy leading the way and the other guard hovering nearby in case if additional assistance would be required.  
Merlin, bidding Tilde their goodbyes, hurried to catch up with the blond. As soon as he got near the group, he reached out to check Harry’s pulse. The blond, seeing the handler’s expression turn into a worried frown, quickened his pace, and the guards swiftly adjusted theirs.  
“What’s wrong, guv?” Eggsy asked, keeping his voice low and having no desire to include the guards into their private matters.  
“You blowing the door out has nothing to do with Arthur’s unconsciousness,” Merlin replied, his voice also quiet. “They drugged him.”  
“Shit,” the blond swore under his breath, but a moment later his eyes opened wide. “Merlin...”  
“I thought about that too,” Merlin nodded, a frown creasing his forehead. “Good thing we have spare suits on the plane.”  
It was Eggsy’s turn to frown. “Why?”  
“Ties, lad,” the Scot elaborated. “If we are to reconstruct the settings, we’d better have them at hand.”  
“Oh,” the blond murmured, his cheeks colouring slightly. “You’re right, I guess... Did you see the moment when he was drugged?”  
“Yes,” they neared the plane, and Merlin pulled out the remote, opening the entry door. “The leader did it just before your spectacular  entrance.”  
“Bastard,” Eggsy hissed, his green eyes flashing. It lasted just a second, and then he turned to the guards, halting them with a wave of his arm. “Thanks, guys, we’ll sort the rest out ourselves.”  
Both men nodded and passed Harry back into the blond’s arms. Merlin thanked them too, and then he and Eggsy took hold of Harry from both sides, half-carrying, half-dragging their Arthur up the boarding ramp.  
Inside the plane, Merlin helped Eggsy to lay Harry down on the sofa and went to the built-in wardrobe to get the ties.  
The blond carefully rolled his soulmate so the older man now lay face down, then made sure Harry’s arms were pulled behind his back, wrists crossed. Sitting down beside the older Kingsman, Eggsy secured his wrists in place and waited for Merlin’s return...  
_Harry was dimly aware that his body was manhandled by someone. He hoped it was Eggsy, but, considering that he was knocked out with some drug by the conspiracy’s leader, he couldn’t be sure._  
_Besides, there was the more pressing matter on his mind – or, rather, standing in front of him with a condescending smirk on his lips._  
_His darker self definitely had a twisted sense of humour: to see a man who managed to tear Harry’s soul apart long time ago, especially considering that Harry chose to erase those memories, felt like a reopening of an old wound. Not to say that the conspiracy leader with his striking resemblance didn’t help matters either._  
_“You won’t be getting rid of me. Ever,” even the voice was the same, and Harry took a step back, his expression pained. “But I can be generous. You had no chance to set things right, so I’m giving it to you,” his alter ego snapped his fingers, and Harry felt the weight of a gun in his hand. “Come on, you know you want to.”_  
_He knew it was a trap, and he shouldn’t be so easy to provoke, but he was so tired after a hell of a mission and his doppelganger’s solution was so tempting that Harry just gave in._  
_Raising his arm, he pulled the trigger, watching a spur of blood erupt from Avery’s chest._  
_Doc stumbled back a little, then righted himself and looked into Harry’s eyes._  
_Then he laughed, and Harry crumpled to the floor, hands clutching at his chest as the sharp pain spread through it._  
_“See you soon,” his darker self whispered, leaning closer to his ear, and then the world faded away..._  
“Here you go, lad,” Merlin dropped two ties near Eggsy’s hands and then frowned, seeing the blond’s concerned expression. “What’s wrong?”  
Eggsy looked at him with wide, terrified eyes. “I... I think we...”  
The Scot barely had time to catch the young agent as he tilted sideways and started to slide onto the floor. “Oh no, you don’t!” he grumbled, laying the blond down and rushing to the cockpit to retrieve the portable defibrillator. “Ye’re not dying on me, ye get me? Not before ye deal with all the paperwork, ye bastards!”  
He took care of Harry first, rolling him over and practically ripping his suit coat and shirt off to get to his chest. There was no necessity to check the pulse – Merlin knew he won’t find any, so he went straight to shocking his best friend back to life.  
It took four tries. Eggsy came to after the second, gasping and clutching at his own chest as if he was shocked too.  
“Sorry, lad, but I need ya to bear it a bit longer,” the Scot pleaded, and Eggsy curled into a ball on the floor, nodding jerkily.  
Two more charges and Harry was grabbing Merlin’s wrists, trying to shove the Scot away. “Merlin,” he croaked. “Stop... please... I’m alive...”  
“Wot he said,” Eggsy joined in from the floor, biting back a painful moan.  
“Good,” Merlin put the device away and helped the blond to climb back on the sofa, arranging the soulmates so they rested comfortably. “Time to sleep for both of ya while I get us back to HQ.”  
The blond took his words as an order, wriggling a bit to get comfortable and crowding Harry against the back of the sofa. Hart grumbled a little but settled in, enjoying the closeness and warmth that Eggsy was providing.  
Covering them with a blanket, Merlin turned towards the cockpit when Harry cleared his throat.  
“He will be back,” their Arthur’s voice was quiet, but his companions heard him just fine, judging by the way Eggsy’s arms curled around him, pulling closer, and Merlin’s words as the handler walked to the cockpit.  
“Then we will be here to kick his sorry arse,” the Scot replied. “Together.”  
“Damn right,” Eggsy slurred, voice heavy with sleep. “And you owe me an explanation, guv.”  
“I know, lad,” Merlin smiled. “Sleep tight.”  
The blond opened his mouth to reply – and found his words swallowed by Harry’s lips.  
“Sleep, my darling boy,” his soulmate whispered against his mouth. “There will be time for talking... now we need to rest.”  
Eggsy mumbled something and settled, tucking his head under Harry’s chin. They both drifted to sleep a minute later.  
Merlin settled into the pilot’s chair, powered the plane and guided it to the flight strip.  
Kingsman finest were returning home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a sequel!


End file.
